Southside Community Center

Lilly Worrell 2 months ago

The community center itself is amazing and would be perfect for young kids of all developmental levels to play and explore if some of the staff weren’t consistently ableist. We bring preschoolers with developmental disabilities from an early intervention center to this community center often, and every. single. time. we’re here, certain staff members make up rules that only ever apply to our kids. This is a community center, and our clients are members of the community who have just as much right as anyone else to enjoy it. We are constantly told they can’t sit on public seats, can’t walk laps on the track, or play in the basketball gym, even when they’re completely out of everyone’s way—or when no one else is even there. Sometimes the reason given is “someone else may want to sit there/use it” as if every other person who comes is more deserving of space than young children with disabilities. Other kids do the exact same things with no issue. We’re told we can only use certain hallways or doors, forcing us to walk all the way around the building while everyone else comes and goes freely. We’re constantly given different rules about personal items like water bottles and where shoes

Alec Grabner 2 months ago

The staff at the Southside Community Center has been consistently ableist towards autistic kids. These kids haven’t been able to use public spaces within the community center as well as being told to stay off the benches because “someone else might want to use them” Overall we have witness a clear divide between how autistic kids are treated compared to the other kids. We can really only use the indoor/outdoor playground as we have been told that we can’t walk around anywhere else. I hope that this community center can learn to treat people equally as this center is for EVERYONE and not only people that they deem worthy.

Jordan Waters 3 months ago

Southside has an amazing and thoughtful staff that provide excellent customer service to everybody that comes there, Presenting different activities for everyone in the family. My family takes advantage of the boxing program by Coach Jerry, the indoor playground, T-ball with Coach Thomas. All activities thoroughly enjoyed with top tier facilities and a staff that cares.

Ashleigh Henderson (HighbrowsRVA) 5 months ago

My son loves coming here. The staff are always super friendly, and the facilities are always clean. The indoor play area is awesome!

Derrick Carabine 5 months ago

Me and my son had a wonderful time at the community center nice people and invioment